What Water Does
by oreoinqwbu
Summary: It wasn't her choice to move and be thrown into Iwatobi High, but hey, when your dad is offered a high rank position in the military and there are salty oceans practically begging you to come, what can you say? Then again, the school's swim team with a certain guy is a plus... Rated T just in case but I'd say it's K ish? (OC story)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**A/N: Well here's a new story for all you wonderful people. Still working out the kinks but I have it mostly planned out. The first section of this chapter is intro (kind of) but you don't want to miss it because it helps set the story and setting. Kinda boring at first but later on in this chapter, things get real :P**

Oh and this is for which is basically a website that encourages you to write a 50k word story in the month of November. (You should check it out its pretty cool) So I will absolutely not abandon this for a while.. heh.

**Enjoy!**

-

"See you."

Those were the last words my best friend, Kyle Hemmings, said to me as I left for Japan.

It's not like I want to go. Okay, let me rephrase that.. I don't want to go at all. But when your dad works as a military sergeant and there are open seas ready to be splashed into, there's not much of an option to skip, even if it means leaving everything you've ever known behind.

So if you've guessed, I'm not from Japan, but I do speak Japanese because my step mom is from there. Actually, I'm from the opposite of Japan: Michigan, USA.

What do I love? Water. You might be thinking, there's no "open seas" in Michigan, and you're absolutely right. The closest thing is Lake Michigan, one of the United States' Great Lakes. Japan's salty waters were the only motivation for me to go.

Anyways, here I am, on a 23 hour flight to Japan.

Ready to start a new life? As if.

I mean, I'm going to be lost there. I have blonde hair and green eyes. I'm not tall, but I'm not short either. Plus I have a foreigner name: Violet Jennings.

My solution? .. I'll sleep it off.

18 hours later:

"VIOLET WAKE UP. WE'RE HERE." My older brother, Jason Jennings (JJ haha), yelled. He was only a year and two months older than me, so a 12th grader back in the States. In Japanese terms, he's a 3rd year in high school.

"Mmmm.." My eyes fluttered open. The smell of airplane wafted into my nose and the chilly air conditioning breezed by. All the other passengers were outside.

"Airplane doors closing in two minutes." the announcer said.

I quickly gathered my things and sped off towards the exit where my brother was already waiting.

"Ready?" He asked, as we descended down the plane's stairs. He smiled his signature white grin. His short blonde hair blew with the wind.

I rolled my eyes and took a deep breath. "Ready when you are." I replied. And we took our first step onto Japan.

-

"Hand me the yellow suitcase." My step mom, Kim Jennings, ordered.

"Here." I said shortly.

The weather was raging, with cold winds flying everywhere, and large raindrops falling to the ground.

We were at our new house, a kind of traditional Japanese house because dad wanted "to blend in with their culture". Okay, so fine. I wasn't too picky about houses anyways.

Next I grabbed my own things. An ocean blue medium sized suit case and a neon green duffel bag.

"Which one is my room?" I asked my dad.

"Uh.." He muttered as he flipped through his clipboard of papers.

"Dad. Dadddd. DAD." I tried to call for his attention.

He slowly looked up from his papers. "Were you talking to me?" He asked honestly.

"Uh, yeah, I was." I rolled my eyes. "Which is my room?"

"Pick whichever one you want but the master bedroom is mine." He says, going back to his paperwork.

I nodded and hauled my things inside. The house wasn't much. It wasn't small, but it wasn't as big as our old house. The walls were made of wood, and so were the floors. There were paintings all over the place. There was no couch, or actually, any furniture at all.

I trudged along and came across a flight of stairs. As I went up, the sound of my suitcase banging on the wooden stairs echoed throughout the house. When I finally reached the top, there were four rooms.

The first one I came across was small, so I went to the second one. It was slightly bigger. Curious, I slid the screen door of the third room open. It was the master bedroom. And it was huge. I sighed, knowing the room was already taken.

The fourth room was huge too.. and taken. My brother was in there.

"REALLY." I huffed.

"Sorry little sis, this room is mine." He smirked.

I headed back to the second room.

I put my stuff down. The window was open and letting rain in. I walked towards it to close but then I saw someone.

He was shirtless and wearing black and purple swimming trunks. What was he doing out in the cold? He turned around and I swear he was looking straight at me, but I had already closed the window and the glare should have made it impossible to see me. He had crystal clear blue eyes that were really pretty and- wait what am I thinking? I shouldn't be fantasizing about my neighbors..

I shrugged it off. My room was completely empty. There wasn't even a bed. I checked my iPhone and noticed that it was almost dinner time already.

I headed downstairs. "Mom!" I called. She may be my step mom, but she's still family and a better mom than my real mom will ever be.

"Yes?" Came her reply.

"What's for dinner?" I asked, feeling hungry.

"Oh! Dinner! I forgot! Can you run to the convenience store? There should be one about 15 blocks from here."

"15 BLOCKS?" I yelled. 15 blocks wasn't much, but I was really tired from the trip and jet lag was starting to get to me.

"Sorry honey! But you can use the new skateboard we got you." She smiles.

I rolled my eyes again. I went back upstairs and unzipped my duffel bag. There was my skateboard, waiting for me. It was blue, with black stripes. Ripping off the plastic protecting it, I ran downstairs.

"Here's some money." she said as she handed me a crisp bill.

"10,000?" I asked, surprised.

"Oh yeah, one United States dollar is about 110 Japanese yen." She says.

"Oh.. but that's about 100 U.S. dollars still." I said, doing the math in my head.

"Sorry but that's all I have. We still need to go to the bank to exchange the money but that's all the airport had today." She explained.

"alright.." I say. I pocket the money with my phone and place my skateboard on the ground. I start riding off. 15 blocks to go.

In a way, I enjoyed going. I saw part of the town and kind of saw what this place was about.

I finally reached the convenience store and grabbed instant noodles from the shelves. I pulled off two packs of mint gum from the candy section and four bottles of instant tea, perfect for a rainy day.

I went over the the cashier and dropped all the items onto the counter.

The cashier looked at me funny.

Was I buying too much? Was there a limit to how much you could buy here?

"Is something wrong?" I asked in Japanese. I was fluent, but I knew I had an accent.

The cashier's eyes widened and he said," No! O-of course not. Sorry!"

I smiled. "It's okay." It must have been because I didn't look like I spoke Japanese and was a foreigner.

He blushed slightly and continued to scan my items. Only then did I notice he was around my age. He had glasses and black hair. His eyes were blue-ish purple-ish.

"That'll be 1,342 yen." He said.

I handed him the 10,000.

His eyes widened again. This time I guessed it was because of the large amount of money.

"It's because we've just come from the airport. Sorry." I said, making an excuse and hoping he would accept such a large amount.

"Oh. I see. That's okay this time." He opened the cash register and got my change.

"Thanks!" I called out behind me as I was near the door with all my stuff.

"Come again!" He called back.

I reached for the door handle just as it magically swung open by itself. The next thing I knew, a huge body was in my face.

"Agh! Sorry!" I quickly backed out of the door way. I had bumped into someone. A guy with green eyes and light brown hair emerged.

"No, it's my fault." He replied, scratching the back of his head and grinning goofily.

"Wow Makoto-senpai." The cash register guy said.

"Sorry." he apologized to me again.

"It's fine." I said, leaving.

On the way back, more people were outside, and most looked at me funny.

Did they not ride skateboards here?

When I got home, no one was there.

"Hello?" I called out.

No reply.

"Hello?" I said, louder.

Soon I started getting panicked.

I dropped the food on the kitchen counter and then noticed a note stuck onto the cabinet.

"Realized our furniture was left at the airport. Hopefully not lost during transit in Hong Kong. Be back at around 10 or later." was all it said.

Great. This isn't creepy at all. Alone at a new house in Japan.

I realized that I was still hungry so I grabbed the noodles and searched the cupboards for a pot. Luckily I found one. It was small and dented, but still usable. I rinsed it and filled it with tap water. Then I placed it on the stove.

After it finished cooking, I ate, and then cleaned up, I went back to my room. It was seven o'clock.

There wasn't much for me to do, but I unzipped my suitcase and tried to unpack. But, with no drawer or cabinet to put my clothes in, there wasn't much I could do.

I decided I would go to sleep early. But.. I didn't have a bed. Or a blanket. Or a pillow.

I sighed. I tried texting my parents but they didn't reply. So in the end, I didn't what any normal person would do: I asked my neighbors.

Normally, I wouldn't do this. But since I didn't have anything to do, I was kinda desperate. And sleeping on the ground was definitely not something I wanted to do.

I put on my raincoat and went outside. The air still smelled like rain.

I knocked on the door of the house of the left of our house. No answer. Not wanting to go too far from our own house, I decided to go to the house on the right of our own house.

"Hello?" I called out.

No answer.

I knocked. A few seconds passed.

"Hello?" I called out again.

More seconds passed. No answer. My frustration started to build.

More moments flew through.

"HELLO?" I said, my blood boiling.

"WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH THIS COUNTRY? AGHHH!" I yelled in complete frustration.

If I didn't like Japan at all before, now I really hated it.

Suddenly, the door creaked open.

A pair of blue eyes met mine.

"Can I help you?" He said in Japanese. He looked around my age.

I blushed, realizing he had heard my mini tantrum.

"U-Uh.." I stumbled through my words," Do you have an extra mattress for sleeping on? Like I normally wouldn't do this but my parents haven't gotten our furniture yet so.." I flashed a cheesy smile.

"Who are you again?" The door was now fully open and I recognized him. He was the guy who was shirtless and walking through the rain. This time I got a closer look at him and noticed he had black hair and a cold stare, giving off an unsociable aura.

After a brief pause, I blurted out, "Oh! Right. Sorry! I'm Violet Jennings, your new neighbor."

"Okay." He said bluntly. Was he not going to introduce himself?

"S-so.. about that mattress.." I trailed.

"Come in." He slid the screen door open.

Immediately my brain told me to be careful.

I cautiously stepped inside, slipping off my shoes before entering. I think I remember Mom telling me that it was for respect.

He silently walked through the front hall and then slid the screen door of the second room to the right.

I followed. The room was empty.

"I don't have a mattress but I have a mat." He said.

"A mat?" Suddenly I remembered. In these countryside areas, people slept on mats. Some used mattresses but it was more of a city thing.

"Oh wait, sure. I don't mind." I said.

He rolled up a mat he got out of the closet.

"Sure you don't need it?" I asked.

"I don't need it." He said. He barely said anything and for some reason, I got the feeling that he didn't like me much.

He started to roll up the mat and then handed it to me.

"Should I thank your parents?" Just as the words escaped my lips, I realized that I hadn't seen anyone else but him here.

"They aren't here." Was his reply.

"Oh.. Out of town?" I bit my tongue. I shouldn't have been so nosy.

"No." He didn't say anything else.

By now we were at the front door.

"Okay, I owe you one!" I smiled awkwardly, as I slipped on my shoes.

He slid the front door open but didn't say anything.

"Uh, well, bye!" I say nervously. I walk out and then turn around remembering mom saying something about the need to bow to show respect and/or your thanks to a person.

Just as I'm about to, he slams the screen door shut.

Definitely liking our new neighbors.

I dragged the mat back home. After a closer look, I realized that it was made of rows of wood. Tatami? I think that's what it's called. Would it be comfortable?

But, I had bigger problems needing to be dealt with.

-

"Ready for your first day?" Mom asked as she handed me a bowl of miso soup.

"Just to get used to the food here." She winked.

"Please Mom, I know what miso soup is and what it tastes like." I said with a laugh.

"I know, I know. But your dad wants to make sure you fit in here, especially because of his job. Can you believe all those government officials? I mean, I'm glad they paid for us to come here and everything, but couldn't they have gotten you into a better school?" She complains.

"Mom, you're ranting again. I'm sure the school is fine."

"Well, gotta be thankful for a daughter like you."

I awkwardly smile. She's only been my mom for about a year and a half.

It's only then I realize that there's furniture everywhere.

"Oh so now you notice." Mom says with a smirk as she notices me looking around.

I'm speechless for a few seconds. There was a TV in the living room and a drawer, with everything from our old house in it, just the way I remembered it.

There were a few pillows and more tatami mats serving as rugs.

A low table is in the center of the room, the one I'm eating on right now.

"...What time did you even get home?" I manage to say.

"Around three in the morning." She says, faking a yawn.

"But it's six right now!" I could smell the morning dew waft into the room.

"Which is why I haven't woken up your brother. I probably should. You're walking to school today." She adds.

I didn't mind walking. "Okay.. What time does school start?"

"7 am sharp. It's only five blocks away from our neighborhood entrance. And you can use your skateboard! So glad I bought that thing."

"Hey! It's not a thing, it's my baby." I say, feeling protective."

"Yeah yeah, eat your soup. I'm going to wake up your brother." She stands up, slides the door open, and heads towards the stairs.

I pull out my phone. I received a text.

It was from Kyle. "Arabella wants to video chat you later on." It read. Arabella is one of my good friends in Michigan, also known as Kyle's twin sister.

A part of me wished the text said "I" instead of "Arabella" but after what happened a week before I left I doubt our friendship will ever be the same. What happened you ask? Another story for another time.

"Ohiyo." My brother says.

"Just because we're in Japan, doesn't mean you have to speak the language." I say coldly.

"Whaddaya mean lil sis? Of course we need to speak the language. We're supposed to trying to 'fit in', remember? Nothing wrong with saying good morning.a What's with the attitude?"

"It's nothing."

"Wow." He starts massaging my shoulders. "Loosen up. I know what's on your mind. You don't like it here."

Was he reading my mind or was it just obvious?

He continues,"Well listen here sister, don't be that 9 year old brat I used to know. You're different now."

I glared at him.

He put his hands up. "In a good way, of course." He chuckles.

"Hurry up, we're gonna be late for school." I say, spooning the last scoop of soup into my mouth.

"Gimme a break! I only got three hours of sleep. And did you even help us last night? No. So buzz off."

There it was. The official JJ bipolar moment of the day. Everyday he would always have a mood snap. Was it annoying? YES.

"Okay then, geez. We're walking to school by the way." I said.

"I know. I know more about this place than you. You just worry about getting the hang of things." He sneered.

I knew he was talking about my appearance, but it's not like he has it any better. He has the blonde hair too, but more of a dirty blonde. He also has green eyes, but they're darker than mine. Handsome? I guess you could say so... thinking about it, a lot of girls did chase after him back in the States.

"Here are your books and I sent you an email of a picture of your school so you can find it when you're near there." Mom says. She was always the type to overdo things.

"How will I ever survive without you?" I laughed.

"You won't." She smiled. Her eyes lit up. "That's right! There's a swimming pool at the school! You like water don't you?"

"Is there a swim team?" I ask, suddenly curious.

"There is, actually. I checked on their website. It doesn't seem too big though. Check it out and maybe you can join if your father lets you." She said, choosing her words carefully.

I know full well that dad doesn't want me to keep on loving water, but my mom is supportive of whatever I want to do.

I shook my head. "I don't swim mom. I surf."

"Ah, that's what it was..."

"New adventure awaits!" Jason calls as he jumps down the stairs.

I roll my eyes and smile. Maybe today won't be too bad.

I grab my skateboard near the front door and slip my shoes on. I have to wear boring uniform shoes and a school uniform everyday I go to school now. It sucks, really.

It was a plain white blouse and a grey vest, with a black jacket over it. I also had to wear a brown skirt and navy blue socks. The shoes were bbrown like the skirt.

"This is so stupid." I say, pinching the side of my skirt.

"It's fine." Jason says hurriedly. He's wearing a white long sleeved shirt with a green tie and a similar to mine black jacket along with navy blue slacks.

We each have a black rectangular book bag.

"Let's go." He says.

"Yeah." I say as I follow him out the door.

The walk to school is awkward. Other students are also walking to school and they're wearing the same uniform. None of them approach us and they keep a safe distance. Me slowly riding a skateboard probably isn'te helping either. People keep on looking at me and Jason with confused expressions. A group of girls are gossipping at a curb side.

I feel a rush of wind. A car passes by. Well, not exactly a car. It's a limo. A long, black, shiny one. Even though the glass is tinted, I see a faint outline of a girl in the passenger seats. The limo heads towards the directon of the school.

We both keep our regular cold, poker faces on and keep walking to school.

I still remember what Jason said while we were at the airport back in Michigan: "We're not going to fit in easily, so we shouldn't try but let's do it for Dad's sake and his job. Just play it cool and don't attract too much attention."

So there we were, playing it cool.

Soon we reach the school. A huge mass of students are socializing outside. When we enter, there are rows of mini lockers.

"What are these?" I ask my brother. I open one and there are a pair of shoes inside. "Huh?" I ask.

"They're for indoor shoes. It's to prevent a lot of dirt cluttering inside the school." Jason explains.

"Ah." I say, "I see."

Suddenly I see a group of girls huddled in front a locker, holding a letter in the shape of a heart that she took out from her locker.

I tilt my head in question towards my brother.

He pauses, looks at them, then shrugs. "Dunno," is all he says.

We wander around the school looking for the main office and in the process, catch a lot of looks from other students. So much for not attracting attention.

We walk up to the room and slide the door open. Two rows of cubicles are evenly lined up, each with one teacher. They all pause from their work, looking up to see who had disturbed them from their work Most have shocked looks on their faces, wondering, "Who are these strange looking people? Foreigners?"

Jason probably didn't make it any better by saying, "Hello, we'd like to get our schedules please. We're new." In perfect Japanese.

Some just stood there gaping, others were whispering to each or, mumbling something I couldn't make out.

One teacher, with short brown hair and a friendly expression, stands up and clears her throat, "Ahem," She dramatically pauses,"Everything should be made more simple, but not simpler."

"What is she talking about?" I whisper to my brother. Before he has a chance to answer, the lady continues.

"Why don't we begin with an introduction? Big brother," She says, crossing her arms and nodding her head towards Jason, "Your name, age, and grade please."

"Alright, my name is Jason Jennings, age seventeen, third-year in high school. Please treat me well." He said respectfully, again in perfect Japanese. I swear that all the woman teachers were swooning all over him.

She smiles warmly but then her expression falls cold again. "And you?" She asks. I assume she's talking to me.

"Violet Jennings, age sixteen, second year in high school. Well treat me please." I say.

A moment of silence falls over the room. It's only when my brother elbows me that I realize my mistake.

"I-I mean, p-please treat me well." I bow my head, half in respect, half to hide my blushing face. I had mixed up my words. Awesome first impression.

A few teachers snicker and I feel myself blushing even harder.

The teacher who was speaking to us clears her throat yet again. She walks towards us with her clipboard in hand, then hands us two papers, one each.

"For you." She explains as she sees our faces contorted with confusion. "They're your schedules for this year."

The teachers all stand up simultaneously. In unison, they all say,

"Welcome to Iwatobi High."

**So, how was it? Constructive criticism is appreciated!**

**I have the second chapter already typed up so once there's uh, let's say, three reviews, I'll update! **

**Anyways, hope it's up to your standards or whatever! And if you read any of my other stories.. I'm really sorry I haven't updated, I've been extremely busy lately with school and music so I'll try to update them soon but no promises! **

**Thank you so much for reading, please review/follow/fave for a new chapter!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! **

**It's almost the end of the second semester so all the teachers are cramming all the tests in so we can get on with finals in January. **

**Enjoy the second chapter!**

Chapter 2 - An Invitation

Previously, in Chapter 1,

The teacher who was speaking to us clears her throat yet again. She walks towards us with her clipboard in hand, then hands us two papers, one each.

"For you." She explains as she sees our faces contorted with confusion. "They're your schedules for this year.

The teachers all stand up simultaneously. In unison, they all say,

"Welcome to Iwatobi High."

xXxXxXxX

"Thank you." We both politely bow.

The teacher claps her hands and remains standing as the other sit down. "Jason, please follow the teacher over there." She pauses, pointing to a male teacher with white hair and a think mustache who is waving. Jason nods in understanding. "Violet, looks like you are in my homeroom class. Follow me please." I nod, then follow her out of the room.

"My name is Ms. Amakata, teacher of classical literature." She introduces. The bell has already rung and there aren't any students in the hallway but I hear footsteps getting louder and louder, approaching us from behind. I sense it's only a few feet away and whip around.

The person jumps. He's short, skinny, and has blonde hair.

"Oh my, Nagisa-kun, you scared me." Ms. Amakata says as she slowly turns around.

"Sorry sensei," He bows, "I'm late for class!" He yells as he runs ahead of us. He enters the classroom marked 1-C. I'm surprised he didn't make a comment about me but I guess I can't expect everyone to notice me. That would be pretty conceited.

"That was Nagisa-kun, he's a first year." She explains to me.

"Oh." Is all I say in response.

We walk down the hall in silence. I wonder why the teacher didn't yell at him for running in the hallway.

We stop at classroom 2-A. "Here we are." She says. I take a deep breath. She slides the door open.

The bright light from the windows temporarily blind me but when my eyes focus, everyone is staring at me.

Ms. Amakata walks in, her heels clicking. The palms of my hands suddenly get sweaty and my book bag feels a million times heavier. My heart starts to pound so hard that I can hear it through my ears.

She sharply turns as she reaches her desk so that she faces the class.

She gestures for me to come in. "Now now, don't be shy." She beckons.

I slightly blush but then walk in. I feel everyone's eyes follow my every movement.

"Please introduce yourself." She says, giving me an encouraging smile.

Suddenly I remember my brother telling me to always be confident, especially when meeting new people so you have a good first impression. I kind of wish I had remembered that earlier, before I had totally embarrassed myself in front of the teachers.

"Hello, my name is Violet Jennings, pleased to meet you all." I smiled and then bowed. Bowing is definitely annoying, but everyone does it a lot here as a sign of respect. Even so, I still think that it's a hassle.

A murmur goes throughout the class and I awkwardly stand there, in the center of attention. I hear people say things like "Is she from England?" or "I bet she dyed her hair blonde." or "Is she wearing contacts? No one's eyes are that green." or "Did you see her walk in with her boyfriend this morning?"

Of course, all of these things came from the girls. I could feel myself blush more and more with each comment. The guys in the class were just staring at me, which wasn't comfortable either.

Subconsciously, I'm twirling my hair because of nervousness, which many of the girls are looking at. I immediately stop and just put my hands behind my back.

"Pleased to meet you too." The class says back.

"Thank you, Violet." Ms. Amakata says. "Please sit in the back next to that boy." She points towards a guy with black hair. I walk over, and still, many eyes follow me.

When I reach the desk and pull out the chair, I take one brief look at the boy who Ms. Amakata told me to sit next to. His seat is in the corner of the back of the classroom, which also happens to be a window seat. Through the window, you can see the lunch area and the swimming pool.

He notices me staring at him and I get a clear look at his face. My jaw drops open.

"I-it's you!" I accidentally say. He was the neighbor guy! The one that was shirtless in the rain and lended me a tatami mat to sleep on!

The class had already went back to their work but now they reattaches their attention towards us.

"Is something wrong, Violet?" She asks, a slight frown starting to form on her face.

I feel myself getting hot. "No... Sorry." I bow again but fail. I hit my head hard on my desk.

"Ow.." I say, rubbing my forehead. "That hurt." I complain in English. Again the class whispers to each other. Was speaking English a sin here or something?

"Are you okay?" A guy, from the other side of my desk, asks.

"You too!" I say. I recognized him as the guy I bumped into at the convenience store.

"Oh. You're the blonde one from the convenience store." He says as he chuckles to himself. He smiles a warm and friendly smile.

"Makoto?" Ms. Amakata says. "Is everything okay over there?"

"Haik, it's all good." He says.

Everyone's eyes drift away, and I don't feel as tense as before.

I collect myself and finally successfully sit down at my desk, ready to learn.

Ms. Amakata begins to call attendance. When she's done, she says," Haru?"

The neighbor guy looks up from his daydream.

Ms. Amakata continues," I want you to be a guide for Violet. If she has any questions, you have to help her. Also, you need to show her and her brother, a third year, around."

A wave of chatter passes through the room at the mention of my brother.

Haru looks like he's about to complain but Ms. Amakata cuts him off," No objections. There's a reason I chose you." She says mysteriously.

He still looks like he doesn't agree but doesn't say anything.

"Sorry about that," the friendly convenience store guy apologizes.

"Oh, no need," I say with a smile. "It's not your fault." The words unintentionally come out cold.

"See Haru, you've made our new pretty classmate mad." He says, whispering to Haru.

I slightly smile at the compliment. Haru turns his head towards my direction. "Okay." He bluntly says.

I roll my eyes.

Ms. Amakata tells us to take out our math notebook so I do.

It reads,"Calculus AA" in clear print on the cover in Japanese.

"Wow," Convenience store guy comments. "You must be pretty smart."

I look over to his desk and he has the same math notebook. Then, I looked over at Haru's desk. His notebook said "Calculus AB", unlike mine and convenience store guy.

"Looks like we're at the same level," Convenience store guy says with a laugh. "Finally, some competition in this class. Haru's at the same level as everyone else here. We're all learning Calculus, but before you came, I was the only one learning it at a faster pace. The only difference is that Ms. Amakata gives us more homework and gives us one private lesson each week afterschool on Tuesdays."

I laugh. He was speaking really slowly in Japanese. "I know how to speak Japanese, convenience store guy."

"Huh? Oh yeah. Oh... I forgot to formally introduce myself. My name is Makoto Tachibana."

"Well, Makoto, looks like we're math buddies from now on." I grin.

Just as the words escape my lips, Haru clears his throat. We both look over. Ms. Amakata is rambling something about reviewing radicals so we don't really listen.

"Pay attention." He says. His words are cold like stone. Something about this felt childish.

I look over at Makoto and his face is one of confusion. It seemed to say, "What are you doing? I'm just trying to be nice." but of course, being someone who had only known him for about ten minutes, I wasn't sure.

The rest of class was boring. The school system itself was a little bit weird. In Michigan, the students would be the ones to change classrooms. There was a classroom for science, math, english, etc., and you would go there yourself, each with a different teacher.

Though here in Japan, the ones who would change classes were the teachers, each teaching their own specialized subject.

My teachers were all boring, except for Ms. Amakata. She was also somewhat boring but her teaching style was different compared to any of the teachers I had been taught by before.

Soon it's lunch time and my mom had packed my lunch. The eating part was covered but now there was only one problem. Who to sit with.

Throughout the morning, girls had been giving me evil looks. Honestly, I don't know why. Haru basically ignored me but Makoto had been nice. So while Makoto seems nice, Haru doesn't and they seem like good friends.. Maybe I won't sit with them.

Then of course, there was my brother. He was always an option.

I grab my bags, still wondering about whether to sit with Makoto or my brother. Everyone else has already left the classroom.

I decide to at least find my brother first and ask him how his day was. I decide to go to the bathroom first.

As I go into the stall, I hear other people enter, the sound of their talking fill the room.

"Have you seen the new girl in my class?" One girl asks her friends.

"What new girl?" Another girl asks.

"Oh! I saw her this morning." Another voice chimes in. I think they're talking about me. I look under the stall and see that their are three girls in total, doing their hair and makeup.

"What do you think about her?" The first girl asks.

"She seems pretty." The second girl says slowly.

"Well, that's all she is." My ears perk up as one of them says so. "Did you hear?" The first girl continues.

"She's just a foreigner. This morning, she bowed and then bumped her head on the desk. I think she did it on purpose to get Makoto's attention." She says, in an annoying nasally tone.

I felt like going there and telling them off and that I really did bump my head on accident, but the third girl continued,"Wow. That's really slutty."

After hearing those words, I felt like biting her head off.

I stand up after buckling my skirt and reach for the door but no, they decide to continue. "And, she was totally bugging me out when she was sticking to her brother like a mosquito." Did she really just compare me to a mosquito?

"Oh yeah, I saw that," One commented, "'till the very last second. Like glue." Now I was glue?

I really couldn't take it anymore. I was used to having people talk behind my back, but involving my brother was not something I was happily willing to let go.

I slammed the door open. "This is sad." I say quietly. I catch the first girls' eyes in the restroom mirror.

She gasps and turns around. Then, the rest of them follow.

"Y-you're the..." she points at my hair and then my eyes. "...g-girl.." She quickly covers her mouth.

"Yeah, I'm the girl. I'm the new student... Or should I say.. I'm that mosquito? Or was it glue? You decide, since obviously you know everything about me." I smirk.

I knew this was wrong, that this wasn't like me, and yet my subconscious self somehow mustered the courage to do something like this.

"But the funny part? At least I'm not that low, to talk about other people behind their back like that." I smile. But, on the inside, I was cringing, frowning, disappointed with my decision to deal with this problem this way.

I walk to the entrance, then stop, my back turned against them.

"Nice to meet you, by the way." I felt tears forming in my eyes.

I start to walk away, then gradually, I run. Faster and faster. Faster and faster. The guilt closes in. The tears fall. I don't know where I'm headed, but anywhere else but here.

Suddenly I run into something, being the extremely clumsy person I am (in case you haven't noticed). I realize that it is a person. My eyes are blurry so I don't recognize the person immediately. The first thing I notice is short black hair. The second thing I notice is piercing blue eyes. Then I notice his or her placing their hands on my shoulders.

I wipe my eyes. My vision clears. The person standing before me is none other than Haru.

"Oh. It's you." I say, sniffling to keep my nose from running.

I look to my side at his arms on my shoulders. It's not that I don't like him, but he gives off such a cold aura that when he tries to comfort people, it's just weird.

But for some even weirder reason, my heart flutters.

Even so, the awkwardness overcomes the fluttering and I cough. "'scuse me."I say. But the tears keep coming. I try to act tough, "I'll be going. See you."

I try to walk away, but his grip is strong.

"Are you okay?" He says formally. His face shows no expression. Cold. Blank. Empty.

"I-I guess." His blandness wasn't comforting but the fluttering increased.

He puts his hands to his sides and he looks like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders.

"Let me introduce myself." he says. Where was this coming from? "My name is Haru Nanase." He bows slowly.

The sudden reintroduction startles me, and I notice that no more tears are coming out. Was he trying to start over?

"I'm Violet Jennings," I say, deciding to play along. "Nice to meet you." I also bow, but then our heads clash.

"Ow." He says dully.

"Ah! I'm so sorry!" I say, blushing. I must look like a mess. Blushing and tear streaked, a bitter sweet combination.

"It's okay." He smiles, but only slightly. As for me, I laugh.

"Haru!" A voice calls.

Suddenly a figure turns the corner. It's Makoto.

His eyebrows go up as he sees us. "Oh, Makoto." Haru says.

"I thought you went to the bathroom, didn't know you were here." Makoto says with a smile.

"I just... She just... ran into me." He says.

I stifle a laugh. Oh, the irony.

"Oh that's right! Violet, you should meet our other friends." Makoto says. "Unless you're doing something..."

"No," I say, remembering the incident in the bathroom. "I'm free." Just at those words, Haru looks up. Makoto notices, then chuckles. Then, he silently walks on, from the direction he came. Haru follows, and I do too.

Soon we reach the roof. Three other people are there, two guys and one girl. I recognize them all immediately.

"I know you!" The three of them and me say all at the same time.

The first guy was the cashier guy at the convenience store. The second was the short blonde one that was late this morning. The third one, the girl, was Gou. She was the one who was really nice and showed us where the main office was.

"Wow, Violet. Looks like you already know everyone." Makoto says.

"But," The cashier person says, "I haven't formally introduced myself." He straightens his glasses, then straightens his arm towards me.

"Nice to meet you, my name is Rei-san." He smiles. In a way, he sort of looks like Haru but with glasses.

"And my name is Nagisa!" The blonde one says with a huge grin on his face.

"You already know me! Ah, it's so nice to have another girl here." Gou says with a smile.

"Pleased to meet you all. I'm Violet." I say with a bow.

"No need to be so formal." Rei says still smiling.

I blush.

"Kawaii!" Nagisa shouts.

My blush deepens.

"Let's eat." Haru says, again with the bland tone in his voice.

"Let's." Makoto says.

We all sit down. The weather is really nice. It's sunny but there's a cold wind blowing that counters the heat.

I take out my lunch. Peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This is probably the first "American" meal I've eaten since I'd come here.

"What is that?" Nagisa asks, as he pokes his head in my face.

"Agh!" I say, startled at his sudden appearance. "It's a peanut butter and jelly sandwich."

"Oh." He says, but I can tell he's still confused.

I decide to explain further. "It's just bread, peanut butter, and grape jelly all in one sandwich. This is what a lot of people eat back in the States." I didn't mention that my mom probably packed it for me, thinking that I missed it back there. And I really did. I really, really do. I haven't even been here for a full school day and there are already rumors about me.

And back in the States.. That's where my life is. Friends, relatives, school, Arabella... Kyle, the list goes on.

Here, I know nothing, people look at me funny, and no ones too big on surfing.

I stood up and leaned on the edge of the roof. There was a safety fence protecting the border of the building and I leaned on it. I can see the swimming pool from here. It gleams in the sunlight and looks like a sparkly jewel but without an owner. No one is there.

I turn. Everyone is laughing about something. I turn back towards the swimming pool, ignoring them.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" Someone says. I look to my right and Makoto is leaning on the fence too, staring at the pool as well.

"It is." I say. My gloomy mood darkens as I start thinking about the ocean and my longing to go in one.

"Do you like swimming?" He asks.

I pause and think about my answer before replying, "In a way."

He turns and looks at me but I pretend not to notice. "Is that a yes?" He asks, pursuing for my answer.

I turn and face him. Suddenly curious, I ask, "Why?"

"You should join the swimming team." Another person says. It comes from behind me and I whip around. It's Haru.

"Way to be blunt." Makoto laughs.

"Swim team?" I ask.

"I agree with Haru," Makoto says. "You should join, even if you only sort of like swimming."

"I'm not that interested though.. And I've only just move here... and..." I tried to come up with more excuses. The swimming team sounded fun but I would rather use the time to surf in the ocean.

"Then why don't you just come to our practice after school?" He offers.

I thought about it. Wouldn't hurt, right?

"Uh..." A nagging feeling in my heart told me that this was something I was going to regret. "Sure."

Just then, the bell rings. Time to be tortured..

So as the day went by, it turns out the Makoto and I are around the same level academic wise. We're in the advanced studies curriculum for all subjects. Again, similar to the Calculus problem, there aren't enough people to form a separate class so we only get more homework and extra lessons after school. Greaaat.

"Class dismissed." Sensei (meaning teacher in Japanese) announced. A sigh traveled throughout the class.

"Ready to go?" Makoto asks as he shuffles through his papers to but into his bag.

"Mhm." I say hurriedly, wanting to get the 'trial' practice over with.

As soon as we're ready, we walk to the swimming pool in silence. Not an awkward silence, but a enjoying the environment kind of silence.

Soon we're there and there aren't many people, only Haru, Nagisa, Rei, Gou, and.. Ms. Amakata.

"Oh! What are you doing here Violet?" She asks, surprised.

"Ah, well-" I start.

Makoto cuts in, "She's joining the swim team."

"Well actually, I-" I try again.

"Really? That's awesome!" Nagisa interrupts.

"But it's only for-" I attempt to complete my sentence.

"YAY!" Gou screams.

I look at her, shocked by her sudden yet loud outburst.

"Now it really feels like there's more than just one girl here." She beams, widely smiling.

"Oh," I say, "The thing is, I'm not actually-" I'm cut off yet again.

"Does she even swim? We need to test out her skills first." Rei says as he pushes up his glasses.

I roll my eyes. "That's what I'm trying to explain.."

I think they catch the annoyance in my tone and don't interrupt again so I continue, "I'm here for a trial practice... Just to test out my skills or something?" I look at Makoto and he nods reassuringly.

"Let's start." A voice from behind me says. Yet again, it's Haru. He's in his swim clothes though, the black and purple ones I had seen him wearing yesterday.. When did he change? I didn't even notice..

He jumped into the pool, quickly completing a lap in 7 strokes.

He didn't look fast. But looks aren't everything. His graceful appearance when he swims makes it look like he's slow, but I think it's the opposite. His rhythm wasn't thrown off for even a split second, and he knew exactly where to flip turn with no hesitation.

Is this the skill level of Iwatobi High?

All of a sudden, just after watching him swim, I want to swim as well.

I start walking towards the pool. I quicken my pace. I'm about to jump in but someone grabs my hand.

It's Gou.

I frown, "What's wrong?" I ask, anxious to swim.

"You might want to change first..." She giggles.

I look down at my clothes. I was still wearing my school uniform.

I face palm my forehead.

Nagisa, Rei, Makoto, and Ms. Amakata start bursting out in laughter. Haru just shakes his head.

I turn red.

"Right..." I realize something. "I don't have a swim suit.." I frown, disappointed.

"That's okay! You can borrow mine." Gou says as she gives me an elevator look.

"You look about the same size as me." She continues, "Come to the changing room."

She starts walking to a small building near the pool. We enter and there are rows of lockers. No one's inside and the place looks a little run down and abandoned.

She does the locker combination of of with a red lock. It opens and she pulls out a one piece swim suit. "Here." She says as she hands it to me.

"Thanks!" I say, beaming. I want to swim. Now.

"I'll be at the pool then." She says as she leaves.

I quickly change and put my uniform in a random locker. I take out a hair tie from my book bag and do a really quick ponytail. I didn't bother to try and find a swimming cap. In my opinion, they're just a hassle. They squeeze your brain. I only wear them if I absolutely have to..

I look around for goggles. There's a pair hanging on a rack and I take it. It's grey and looks durable and clean.

I walk out and head back to the pool.

As I enter the area, everyone looks at me.

"What?" I ask.

They don't say anything and pretend to act as if nothing had happened by looking away.

I walk to the pool side and Gou whispers in my ear, "I think they were in awe of your good body, Violet." She laughs.

I start laughing too. "As if." I scoff in between the giggles.

"Ready?" Makoto asks. By now everyone, except Haru who was still on the pool, gathers around, curious to see my skill level.

I mound onto the diving board and put my goggles on. "Yep!" I say, smiling.

This wasn't the ocean, but this was close enough for now.

"Okay," Rei says. He has a timer on hand. "Ready, set..."

I go into diving position.

"Go!"

I push off, using the spring diving board and my long legs to my advantage.

As soon as I touch the water, I feel adrenaline coursing through my body. Energy flowed through out.

It was a freestyle lap, back and forth across the 25 meter pool. I imagine the pool is the ocean.

"Faster," I think. "Faster, faster." I know I haven't hi my limit yet. I can go faster.

In a matter of short moments, I reach the end of the pool as I see the end of the 'T' on the pool floor.

I do a flip turn and spring my legs off the wall, giving me an extra push to complete the lap.

I try my best to keep my rhythm. I keep on imagining Haru's freestyle as I swim. Beauty, elegance, speed, focus, I try to imitate it all.

I see the end of the pool and stretch out my right arm towards the wall. I feel my hand touch the wall. I was done.

I lifted my head out of the water. I'm panting. I hear clapping.

Everyone's clapping, the looks on their faces are priceless: half in awe, half shocked. Except Haru. He just looks at me with his cold steel eyes.

Not like I care or anything though..

Makoto walks over to my lane and stretches his arm out.

I take it and he pulls me out of the water. Gou hands me a towel.

"Welcome to the Iwatobi Swim Club."

xXxXxXxX

**A/N: So, how was it? I kinda rushed but constructive criticism is defs appreciated!**

**I'll definitely update faster, already working on Chapter 3! But Christmas is around the corner so I might not update until then. BUT I DEFINITELY WON"T ABANDON THIS. So, with that said, feel free to follow or review (favoriting a story is more of an opinion so you shouldn't feel pressured to favorite)**

**_3 reviews and follows 'till I update!_**

**Thanks so much to the reviewers from last chap:**

**1) anna (guest)**

**2) kitty (guest)**

**3) Guest1995 (guest)**

**4) Guest (guest)**

**Wow they were all guests lol. BUT THANK YOU SO MUCH I SO APPRECIATE IT. Your reviews all inspire and motivate me. (And pop up in my email tp remind me that this story hasn't died :P)**

**till the next!**

**-Sammyy**


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